Chief Koval's Blog

Our Thanks to the Madison Community Policing Foundation

August 15, 2016 12:50 PM

After serving our community for 32 years, my classmate Joe Balles, retired from MPD last January. Captain Joe Balles was the venerable face of MPD in a variety of contexts but none more memorable than as the leader of the South Police District. And while Joe may have officially "retired" from active service, this energizer bunny rabbit is not the sort to sit back, relax, and allow himself the benefits of a carefree life. Before even officially turning in his gear, Joe had assembled some like-minded retirees (Detective Shari Walter Twing, Officer Jean Papalia, Investigator Pia Kinney James and Sergeant Pete Schmidt) to hatch a foundation that would continue MPD's efforts to further community engagement and partnerships. Thus was born the Madison Community Policing Foundation.

Community policing is at the forefront of the Madison Police Department's mission. It is what we do and what we desire to do more of! We know that the police and members of our community must work together to make sure we have a city that is safe to live, work and play in. In order to work together there needs to be trust for enduring relationships to take root and flourish.

Our Department currently (and historically) has a plethora of community engagement/policing events offered to the public in order to create/maintain relationships with our youth, break down barriers and build rapport and trust with our constituents. Some of these events include the following (this is certainly not an all inclusive list): Coffee with a Cop, Movie Night with Cops, Fireside 5-0 (where officers are invited into a home to talk with neighbors), neighborhood picnics/celebrations, a summer soccer series is put on for youth by our Amigos en Azul group, and Black Youth and Latino Youth Academies each summer. In addition, I hold community forums twice a year at all of our five districts where anyone can come and voice questions/concerns. We have an annual Citizen's Academy, a Veteran's Outreach Program, and Friday Nights at the Y. Recently we launched our CORE Team (Community Outreach and Resource Education Team) who provides outreach to our youth. We recognize the need to do more, and with the help of the Madison Community Police Foundation, we can!

We wish to thank the Madison Community Policing Foundation for their goal of supporting our mission of serving the community. Together we can make a difference for Madison!

(On August 10, 2016, the Stark Company Realtors held their 9th Annual Community Classic Golf Event. The Madison Community Policing Foundation was chosen to be the recipient of all proceeds from their golf outing. We wish to thank David Stark and Stark Company Realtors for their generosity.)

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